Representatives of the National Iwi Chairs Forum have quit a co-governance style group working on a National Action Plan Against Racism.
The plan was called for by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch Terrorist Attack, and the working group was convened in 2022.
Iwi Chairs’ representative Tina Ngata says recent moves by the Government have made the continued participation of the tangata whenua caucus untenable.
Changes the coalition Government wants include a reduced focus on institutional racism and colonial racism against Māori.
She says the Treaty Principles Bill, the Fast Track Approvals Bill, as well as the dismantling of co-governance initiatives such as Māori wards, the Māori Health Authority, and Te Mana o te Wai , show the Government’s is committed to upholding institutional racism.
